What I Learned River Rafting Through the Grand Canyon

Sometimes you don’t know what you’re capable of until you’ve done it. Like surviving a 200-mile river rafting trip through the Grand Canyon, for instance. The 9 day journey—which was run by Outdoors Unlimited—involved braving massive rapids, hiking through the high desert, and living at the bottom of America’s most gobsmacking geographic landmark. I walked out of that canyon with a deep tan and a massive sense of accomplishment, as well as the following hard-earned lessons.

The weather is unpredictable: Welcome to the land of fire and ice, said our guide, and it didn’t take long for me to grasp what he meant. Temperatures in the Grand Canyon range from 60 to 115 degrees, and the river water averages a brisk 48 to 50 degrees. Cotton became my biggest frenemy—the slow drying material is great for evaporative cooling, but if the sun disappeared behind a cloud I’d rapidly find myself blue-lipped and shivering. On the other hand, there were windy desert nights where I felt like I was trying to sleep in a giant, infernal hairdryer.

Always pitch a tent: As we’ve just established, the weather is unpredictable. While you can and should sleep in the open under the stars (and, by the way, prepare to see more stars than you’ve ever seen in your life), you’ll be glad to have shelter nearby when it starts raining at 3am. If you do get caught in the rain without a tent, your best bet is to employ a move known as the Burrito, which involves wrapping yourself in a tarp or groundsheet and pretending not to notice that the foot of your sleeping bag is getting damp.

Tie everything down: Grand Canyon rapids are huge, which means it’s very likely you’ll end up going for a surprise swim at some point. Make sure you have straps on your sunglasses, a chinstrap on your hat, carabiners on your water bottles, and that your GoPro or camera is secured. It’s also not a bad idea to have some kind of cord attached to your personal soap bar in case your husband loses it in the river on the second day.

Respect the river: Like all adventure sports, the thrill of whitewater rafting is not without its risks. We ran more than 50 rapids without incident, but on a particularly difficult one 6 people were thrown out of their raft. Nobody was in the water for more than a minute and for many it was the trip’s most dramatic highlight. However, one person was so traumatized that it was 24 hours before they could pick up a paddle again, and unfortunately another injured their knee so badly they couldn’t walk for days.

Clean is a relative term: Wet wipes, hand sanitizer and camping soap are essential, but it’s important to recognize at the outset that while you can get clean-er, you cannot really get clean. The murky brown river is where we wash our bodies and our dishes, but it’s also where we urinate and dump the camp’s wastewater. (And get drinking water, once it’s been properly treated.) The cleanest you’ll ever feel on this trip is right after you rinse off in a waterfall, which you’ll have the opportunity to do almost daily. But don’t kid yourself: you’re still as grubby as the rest of us.

Dehydration can ruin your day: It goes without saying that when you’re spending time in the desert, you need to make sure you’re drinking plenty of fluids. But I’m saying it anyway because, as I discovered on two separate occasions, it’s surprisingly easy to become dehydrated even when you’re being vigilant. Guzzling gallons of water simply doesn’t cut it, you have to supplement with electrolyte drinks or risk getting sick on the river—not an ideal scenario when your bathroom consists of an army surplus ammo tin with a toilet seat attached.

The canyon is an outdoor classroom: Our guides were constantly schooling us, both on and off the river. While hiking down the many side canyons that branch off the main one, we learned about the geological mystery of the Great Unconformity and about the Ancestral Puebloan Indians who lived in the area more than a thousand years ago. I now know the difference between a petroglyph and a pictograph, and can identify at least two constellations in the night sky. And given a piece of duct tape, I will de-cactus a pair of pants with the brusque efficiency of a Russian bikini waxer.

There’s no “i” in “all forward:”Paddling isn’t about brawn (much to my relief), it’s actually about teamwork. The boat moves most effectively when everyone paddles as a unit, taking each stroke in unison and following the guide’s precise instructions. If you slack off or flex too hard, you will be immediately identified as the weak link since everyone else will have to compensate. And being an uncooperative A-hole will come back to haunt you when you’re running low on sunscreen and beer on day 7 of the trip.

River guides are a special breed: It’s a singular type of person that eschews job security and a steady paycheck, and chooses instead to wear the same pair of shorts for a week and get regular fungal foot infections. These guys love what they do, and to be a guide on the Grand Canyon, they have to be really good at it too. River guides are imminently capable people who possess technical river skills, leadership and communication skills, medical and culinary training, a great way with people and a damn good attitude. They also tell terrible jokes and have an extensive mental inventory of time-wasting games.

It’s not an easy trip, but we had it easy: When John Wesley Powell mounted an expedition to explore the unmapped canyon in 1869, he spent three months running the river in a wooden oar boat, nearly drowning and starving along the way. While we had all the benefits of modern technology (such as drops that will magically turn a bucket of silty river water into purified, drinkable H2O), we also had guides that catered to our every need. And we ate better than most of us are accustomed to at home. We’re talking fresh coffee, fruit and yoghurt, and a hot breakfast every morning; and three-course dinners featuring things like tuna steaks and burgers each night. Sure, we were dirty, tired, and my entire body was covered in heat rash. But this was backcountry glamping, if such a thing exists, and our suffering was of the most pampered sort.

Photo Credit: Ariel Jankelson

The 614-Word Endorsement: Hotel Rewards Programs

For many travelers, high airfare can totally scuttle a trip. Added atop the price of hotels, the cost of a vacation can trump all hopes of getting away.

Many frequent flyers have already signed up with a program to redeem airline points, but rarely realize that the cost of a week’s stay at a hotel can easily surpass the cost of getting from Point A to Point B. We had the chance to visit sunny San Diego last weekend to kick off the launch of Hilton HHonors’ “Stop Clicking Around” campaign, and learned a thing or two about hotel rewards and why they’re actually more cost-effective than using airline loyalty programs or booking sites that boast flight + hotel combo deals.

Sure you can snatch a seat on a plane before your points expire, but the combination of rising airfares, reduced flight capacities and scarcer award seat availability makes airline points a pain in the ass. Claiming hotel rewards offers far more flexibility and value than we thought.

Many hotel programs offer points that don’t expire or have blackout dates, unlike a number of airline loyalty programs, and others let you stay virtually anywhere, even at competitor hotels.

Contrary to popular belief, third parties don’t always offer lower prices. Last year, 57 billion Hilton HHonors points (or more than 1.6 million free nights) went unearned because guests “clicked around” looking for sweet deals—you know, those sites that boast awesome prices if you click through a million pop-up pages to compare costs.

To put it simply: There are few restrictions with hotel rewards programs, which makes directly booking from the hotel sites or mobile apps, well, leisurelier—the way vacationing should be. First, it’s worth noting that most hotel programs allow you to freely transfer points to several airline mileage accounts, while transferring points from airlines to hotels is less common and more complicated (you have to transfer A LOT of miles to earn a hotel stay). You can actually redeem your hotel rewards for most avenues of transportation—cruises, car rentals, rail lines. That said, redeeming hotel rewards for hotel rooms will still get you the most bang for your buck. Many hotel programs offer points that don’t expire or have blackout dates, unlike a number of airline loyalty programs, and others let you stay virtually anywhere, even at competitor hotels.

Also, there’s a ton of flexibility when searching via hotel reward programs. Hilton HHonors, for example, has more than 4,600 properties across 100 countries and territories. When you go online to book, you can filter results to search hotels based on points required instead of prices, just like you do with your airline miles. The difference is, however, that you don’t need to decide how to use all your points upfront. While you can’t redeem airline miles at gate check-in, you sure as hell can decide to use your points at any point during your stay in a hotel—on meals, room upgrades, late check-outs—right over the phone from your white linen bed.

Likewise, no booking site will help you cover the cost of Wi-Fi or redeem points for cell roaming charges during your stay, private dining experiences or concerts. Hotel rewards program members reap the benefits of a gamut of special offers that cut extra costs for which they hadn’t accounted. And most hotel programs are also free to sign up.

We’re not saying you have to bid farewell to that $59 annual venture rewards fee you keep spending on your Capital One card. We know, the two miles per every $1 spent is quite nice when your rent is electronically billed to your account, which also makes earning those 40,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first three months disgustingly easy. We’re just saying, there’s alternative cheap ways to travel, friends, and you might want to explore ’em.

The 628-Word Endorsement: Hotel Rewards Programs

For many travelers, high airfare can totally scuttle a trip. Added atop the price of hotels, the cost of a vacation can trump all hopes of getting away.

Many frequent flyers have already signed up with a program to redeem airline points, but rarely realize that the cost of a week’s stay at a hotel can easily surpass the cost of getting from Point A to Point B. We had the chance to visit sunny San Diego last weekend to kick off the launch of Hilton HHonors’ “Stop Clicking Around Campaign,” and learned a thing or two about hotel rewards and why they’re actually more cost-effective than using airline loyalty programs or booking sites that boast flight + hotel combo deals.

Sure you can snatch a seat on a plane before your points expire, but the combination of rising airfares, reduced flight capacities and scarcer award seat availability makes airline points a pain in the ass. Claiming hotel rewards offers far more flexibility and value than we thought.

Many hotel programs offer points that don’t expire or have blackout dates, unlike a number of airline loyalty programs, and others let you stay virtually anywhere, even at competitor hotels.

Contrary to popular belief, third parties don’t always offer lower prices. Last year, 57 billion Hilton HHonors points (or more than 1.6 million free nights) went unearned because guests “clicked around” looking for sweet deals—you know, those sites that boast awesome prices if you click through a million pop-up pages to compare costs.

To put it simply: There are few restrictions with hotel rewards programs, which makes directly booking both accommodation and flights from the hotel sites or mobile apps, well, leisurelier—the way vacationing should be. First, it’s worth noting that most hotel programs allow you to freely transfer points to several airline mileage accounts, while transferring points from airlines to hotels is less common and more complicated (you have to transfer A LOT of miles to earn a hotel stay). You can actually redeem your hotel rewards for most avenues of transportation—cruises, car rentals, rail lines. That said, redeeming hotel rewards for hotel rooms will still get you the most bang for your buck. Many hotel programs offer points that don’t expire or have blackout dates, unlike a number of airline loyalty programs, and others let you stay virtually anywhere, even at competitor hotels.

Also, there’s a ton of flexibility when searching via hotel reward programs. Hilton HHonors, for example, has more than 4,600 properties across 100 countries and territories. When you go online to book, you can filter results to search hotels based on points required instead of prices, just like you do with your airline miles. The difference is, however, that you don’t need to decide how to use all your points upfront. While you can’t redeem airline miles at gate check-in, you sure as hell can decide to use your points at any point during your stay in a hotel—on meals, room upgrades, late check-outs—right over the phone from your white linen bed.

Likewise, no booking site will help you cover the cost of Wi-Fi or cell roaming charges during your stay, or offer you private dining experiences or free concerts. Hotel rewards program members reap the benefits of a gamut of special offers that cut extra costs for which they hadn’t accounted. And most hotel programs are also free to sign up.

We’re not saying you have to bid farewell to that $59 annual venture rewards fee you keep spending on your Capital One card. We know, the two miles per every $1 spent is quite nice when your rent is electronically billed to your account, which also makes earning those 40,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first three months disgustingly easy. We’re just saying, there’s alternative cheap ways to travel, friends, and you might want to explore ’em.

The Hermitage Club Will Blow Your Mind

Grid Guide: Sacramento

10 Experiential Hotels You Just Have to Experience

In a world where your average Joe or Jane can hire concierge services at the push of an uberX or Seamless button, it’s no wonder experiential hotels have become trendy hotspots for travelers across the globe. Simply put, we’re needier than we once were. We want more than crisp sheets and room service. We want to sleep beneath Sweden’s starry skies colored by the Northern Lights or under the sea like marine mavens off the coast of Pemba Island. So here’s a visual journey through some of the coolest experientials out there…

Treehotel, Sweden: This is exactly as it sounds: a hotel amid a lot of trees. Multiple mini-hotels, actually. At Treehotel, guests can choose between The Cabin, The Mirrorcube, The UFO, The Blue Cone or The Bird’s Nest (legitimately a massive bird’s nest with a bed inside). All offer green panoramic views and simple aesthetics, and they’re all positioned just off the ground and ensconced in forestry.

Aspaki Luxury Hotel, Greece: Live life on the edge in a lux suite off the side of volcanic cliffs in the majestic embrace of the caldera. The Aspaki Luxury Hotel sits in the heart of the preserved village of Oia, renowned for the famous blue domes and white cave houses of Santorini. Private, sun-swathed balconies and pools that reflect the azure shade of the Aegean Sea make this a hotel a retreat of its own.

Conrad, Maldives: Voted one of “The Maldives’ Leading Water Villas” at the 2012 World Travel Awards, the Conrad’s King Water Villa boasts a private sun deck replete with a jetted plunge pool and steps that delve into the enticing lagoon below. The glass desk, set over glass panels, give guests the impression that they’re floating over the blue water.

Fairy Chimney Hotel, Turkey: Hewn out of tufa rocks of Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys, the Fairy Chimney Hotel is a cultural, historical destination in itself. From its perch in the upper southwest end of the Göreme village, guests can enjoy walks through the Cappadocia valleys and lunar landscapes, exploring tufa caves, old Byzantine churches and, of course, fairy chimneys. The hotel itself has been restored to preserve tradition and local style coupled with modern function, such as under-floor radiation heating and luxurious hamam-style bathrooms.

Kwanini Manta Resort, Pemba Island: Imagine floating on a private cruise ship that boasts serenity and closeness with nature. You’re sunbathing or stargazing on the top deck, and now imagine sleeping four meters beneath the water’s surface in your own real-life aquatic escape. The Manta Resort offers the one and only floating hotel, just off the coast of Pemba Island, ideal for anyone seeking a truly tropical marine environment.

ICEHOTEL, Sweden: The ICEHOTEL is more than just an ice hotel. It’s an art exhibit made of natural ice and snow from one of Europe’s last wild rivers, just north of the Arctic Circle. The hotel is made entirely of ice, designed by artists from all creative disciplines across the globe. And, just like any exhibition, the work varies each year. How? The hotel melts and returns to Mother Nature every spring. Until then, guests can sleep in standard rooms with ice décor and a bedframe made of ice, or lavish large suites with lounges, sleeping areas and three-dimensional sculptures carved by hand. One room even projects Northern Lights animations onto the chiseled ceiling.

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Finland: This resort has something for all comfort levels. Choose from glass igloos, where you can admire the Northern Lights beneath a starry sky from mid-August through April (the Northern Lights season), snow igloos that dip to -3 to -6 degrees centigrade, a kelo-glass igloo that combines the comforting warmth of a log cabin and the sensational views of the glass igloos, or your choice of a multitude of kelo log cabins that fit couples or big groups and are replete with saunas and fireplaces.

The Glass Floor Udang House, Indonesia: The Udang House is unique to the Bambu Indah, originally situated close to the Ayung River and above a shrimp pond that was used for food production. While the pond is no longer used for food, the house has been opened for guests to enjoy, and the tempered glass floor panels still offer an underwater panorama over the streaming water. Authentic shrimp baskets have since been converted to lamps; the shower is partially indoor and outdoor and the glass-tiled roof lets in plenty of Balinese sunlight.

Tree Houses Hotel, Costa Rica: Relax on a private deck set in the midst of the lush Costa Rican jungle, just a short drive from tourist attractions like La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano. You’ll find shelter in one of the seven treehouses on 10 acres of jungle, surrounded by a 70-acre unspoiled wildlife refuge. The only tenants you’ll have to share your space with are sloths, toucans and some armadillos. They’re cool.

Madonna Inn, United States: This kitschy, Californian resort boasts 110 whimsically adorned guest rooms. Enchanting décor make for a fairy-tale-cottage style vibe from the Victorian Gardens room to the Oriental Fantasy option. Or, go back to your roots for the weekend in the Cavemen suite—a rustic den of solid rock replete with animal prints, a rock pond and stone-age clubs to add to the primitive surroundings. A waterfall spills from overhead in the stone shower and flows into a stone sink basin in the cavern-style bathroom. But you won’t live like just any caveman; you’ll have a king bed and room for two primates to bring along.

Chill Out: The World’s 6 Coolest Ice Hotels, Restaurants and Bars

If you’re anywhere near Made Man’s headquarters in NYC—or lots of other places across the country, honestly—you’re feeling the brrr.

Your rosy-cheeked friends and coworkers are complaining about even colder days ahead. And all the negative energy is really killing your vibe. So why not flip the script and embrace the winter wonderland?

Sort of like the people behind these super cool (literally) ice palaces around the world…

Ice Hotel, Sweden: The Ice Hotel’s 16 art suites are three-dimensional installations of original art. Intricately and individually designed by artists from around the world, the one-of-a-kind rooms sleep two to three people. Lie back on an ice block bed—relax, there are cozy animal fur blankets—and relish the ample sculpting work unique to your suite.

Hotel Kakslauutanen Igloo Village, Finland: Behold snow igloos sitting beneath the Northern Lights amid quiet forestry. Even if the mercury dips to minus 40, the temperature inside remains consistent at about 25 degrees Fahrenheit, and of course it’ll be even warmer in your complementary down sleeping bag.

Ice Restaurant, Romania: Located at the Hotel of Ice, this culinary, sensory experience deserves a spot on your bucket list. You’ll be seated at a table made of ice and served your meals on ice plates. Choose from their special menu, featuring delicacies such as smoked salmon and pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon.

Pommery Ice Restaurant, Canada: Dress in layers for dinner at Pommery. The restaurant seats up to 60 people who savor the refined cooking of chef Matthieu Saunier. Guests can choose three-course meals for dinner, priced at $69 a person (or $20 per child), with menu options ranging from cauliflower cream soup with stewed wild boar and fried artichoke ravioli to Maplewood smokehouse sea trout tartar and Chioggia beets.

The Icebar at Kirkenes SnowHotel, Norway: The Icebar, constructed by Chinese ice specialists—because that’s a thing—uses about 15 tons of chainsaw-cut ice for the hotel bar and rooms, which rise into existence every year in early December. Then you go in and enjoy an ice-cold vodka in an ice-cold ice glass.

Ice Bar, London: The Ice Bar franchise spans several cities, but the London edition is one of the most fun thanks to the lively young crowd it draws. All the walls and tables, the bar and the glasses are made from crystal clear Torne River ice, harvested from Jukkasjärvi in Northern Sweden. Drink until you’re Comfortably Numb—the name of one Beefeater gin, tonic water, lemon juice and cucumber syrup cocktail on the menu.